


Pining

by Booknerdproblems



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, First Fanfiction, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Modern Era, no idea how to tag, rowaelin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Booknerdproblems/pseuds/Booknerdproblems
Summary: Rowan Whitethorn is in love with his best friend.Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is also in love with her best friend.That’s basically the story*abandoned*
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn
Comments: 54
Kudos: 77





	1. Rowan

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fanfiction so I’m sorry for any errors! Comments And kudos are very appreciated!

Rowan Whitethorn was in love with Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, who was, infuriatingly, his best friend. He knew it, their friends knew it, and by the gods he hoped she didn’t know it.   
She was beautiful. Long golden hair framed her face, her turquoise and gold eyes sparkled when she smiled, her perfectly full lips would tilt up into a smirk when she caught him staring. She had flawless skin, deepened into a golden tan from the time spent on the beach. And she was completely, utterly off limits.

Currently, she was squeezed onto the sofa in between him and Lorcan, his friend and colleague. His hand was drawing small circles on the sliver of skin exposed by her top, and he couldn’t have sworn she shuddered. Her head was resting on his chest, her long, lean legs thrown across his lap. In her haste to get as far away from Lorcan as possible whilst sitting on the same couch, she was practically in his lap. This wasn’t in unusual position, for the two had little to no boundaries in their friendship, but given his newly acknowledged love for her, it was making it just a bit difficult for him to focus on the movie in front of them.   
It was cadre night, and all the boys were over, but Aelin had decided she didn’t feel like being alone, so had crashed his apartment. They were all delighted to see her, with the exception of Lorcan, but the only one Lorcan was happy to see was Elide, Aelin’s little sister, and he wasn’t going to broach that subject with a ten foot pole.  
Aelin was off limits for about a thousand different reasons, beginning with the fact she was he best friend and ending with the fact that she had just gone through a terrible breakup with a man whose nose Rowan thought looked particularly breakable and whose name was permanently burned through his brain.  
He was convinced she didn’t have an inkling of what she was doing to him when she wore crop tops or shorts, but sometimes he could swear he saw a flash of shadowed hunger in her eyes when he took his shirt off on the beach, there and gone in an instant.

“Earth to Rowan?” He was snapped out of his thoughts, to find the movie finished and everybody staring at him from their respective positions across his living room.  
“What? Sorry, zoned out for a second” he said bemusedly at Aelin.  
“I said, buzzard, do you have any popcorn?”  
Blinking away his thoughts, he replied evenly   
“Yeah, top cupboard,”

Aelin grinned and started clambering off of him, giving him an eyeful of her cleavage and a whiff of her scent when she did so. 

His eyes stayed on her all the way to the kitchen, her hips swaying with every step. He looked back to see five sets of eyes upon him.

“What?” He asked defensively.  
“Man, you got it bad” Fenrys drew out the last word, shaking his head at Rowan.

He was fucked, totally and utterly fucked.


	2. Aelin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! This one is pretty short, but the next one will make up for it! Thank you for all the kudos and comments- I love hearing what you guys think.  
> 

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was in love with Rowan Whitethorn, who was, infuriatingly, her best friend. She kept it well hidden, but she was certain her former rival and new female best friend, Lysandra, knew. And now Fenrys, friend, colleague and asshole extraordinaire, also knew. Mainly because she told him. An hour ago. With the help of a tequila shot. 

She and him were at their favourite bar, Mistward, because she needed to do something, anything, that would take her mind of Rowan. The way his tattoo scrawled down his muscled chest, the way his callouses felt against her skin when she hugged him, the way his pine green eyes would survey her body when they hadn’t seen each other in a while. The way that his long silver hair had felt running through her fingers when she finally- finally convinced him to let her braid it.  
Mala above this needed to stop.

“Aelin? AELIN.” Fenrys’ voice jerked her from her thoughts. “Thinking about a certain silver-haired buzzard?” He smirked.  
“Shut up, its not funny,” she groaned.  
“I beg to differ.”  
“I need to get over him. Please, gods, let me get over him”  
“I don’t see why- you two would be a fantastic couple, and your babies would win over the entire gene pool”  
She gave him the look equivalent to several profanities.  
“It’s not like he would be opposed to a relationship.”  
Her world stopped. Started- then stopped again.  
“What did you just say.” Not a question.  
“Oh come on A. You have to have seen the way he looks at you?” Fenrys asked incredulously.  
“Na uh!”  
“Ya uh!”  
She glared at him, “Anyway, it’s Rowan.”  
“And?”  
“And- well- he’s my best friend. I couldn’t bear to fuck that up. And he doesn’t do relationships. Not since Lyria .”  
“It might be different with you, A” Fenrys’s voice had taken on a soft tone. She glared.  
“Nope, no. Not happening. I’m just going to ignore it and hope it goes away. It’s a crush! I have crushes all the time! Now I,” she says firmly, “am going to go find some more vodka, and you, are going to go talk to that redhead whose been eyeing you up all night.”  
“Fine.” He sighs. “But come find me when you’ve realised how utterly wrong you are.”


	3. The Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! Yay! This one is on the long side and uhhhh.... I’m sorry?

Rowan Whitethorn had fucked up. He knew it. The world knew it. The girl he woke up beside...probably didn’t know it. He’d gone out last night and had a few drinks. He was trying desperately the get over Aelin, and had gone to drown his sorrows in tequila.   
He’d woke up next to a pretty brunette who was definitely not Aelin, with no recognition of last night, and a lone figure standing in the doorway. It wasn’t unusual for him and Aelin to wake each other up, but when he had seen the look on her face as she took in the rumpled sheets and messy hair, he knew he’d make a mistake. 

He was currently trying to locate Aelin, ask why she looked so damn pale when she saw him, ask why she ran out as if the gods themselves were chasing after her. 

Rowan was pounding his fist against her apartment door, having already tried the gym, the Faliq’s bakery and Lysandra’s apartment on the way there. 

“Give a girl a break, I’m coming,” came a shout from inside.

The door swung open, revealing Aelin in one of his old hoodies, legs bare, face devoid of make up. She looked tired, and he recalled her going to a bar with Fenrys last night.  
When she saw him, Aelin sighed and turned back into her apartment, leaving the door open for him to follow.   
He shut the door and took off his coat, following her further into the apartment.

-x-

Aelin didn’t know what Rowan was doing here. It had hurt more than she cared to admit when she found him in bed with.... company. Usually, she would have laughed and left breakfast in the kitchen, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything except leave.   
She’d resigned herself to a day of ice cream and Netflix, when Rowan started banging at her door, demanding entry. He followed her into the kitchen, and she pulled out a bar of her favourite chocolate and took a bite. In true Rowan fashion, he denied her offer of a piece. 

It was awkward. Very awkward. She didn’t know why. Well, apart from the fact she’d abandoned him this morning in bed with another woman. 

“So,” Rowan started, “You want to tell me why you ran out this morning as if a pack of demons were on your heels?”  
“Did you know Manon and Dorian are dating?” She deflected  
“What? No I-“  
“Yeah apparently they went on their first date yester-“   
“Stop avoiding the question goddamn it Aelin!” Rowan cut her off. 

She looked down at the worktop, scratching at a piece of dried black nail polish. She didn’t want to tell him, she didn’t want to see him, be near him, talk to him. She just wanted to be left alone.  
He was still talking, his voice get louder and louder. 

“- I mean, your face went pale and you just left , I thought we didn’t do that to each other Aelin. What? Did you know her? Was that it? Did you know her?” His arms were gesturing and his chest was heaving. 

She didn’t know why he was so mad, he was the one who got laid last night. He started to talk again and she just needed him to shut up.

“I’m in love with you!”

He looked stunned, his mouth opening and closing.

“I’ve been in love with you for months. After everything I’ve been through, you healed me, Rowan. You brought me back to the land of the living. I gave every broken twisted part of myself to you and you didn’t balk from it! I’ve been alone my entire life and then I had you! I had you and I fell in love with you but I can’t ruin it, Rowan, I can’t. You are the only good thing that’s happened to me since I lost Sam. I’ve been trying like hell to ignore it but I can’t take it when I find you in bed with other people! I can’t take it! I’ve tried to just be your friend and ignore the way I feel but I can’t do that when you’re so obviously...just...not... in love with me.”

He was staring at her. Not moving, not saying anything, a completely unreadable expression on his face. 

So she left. 

She picked up a pair of keys and left him standing there in her kitchen, and just left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set the day after the last chapter if anybody was confused.


	4. Yeah?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey people! Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments, I adore reading all your thoughts. This fic was originally a one shot, and the end of this chapter is where this whole idea started from!  
> Warnings: swearing, drinking

Aelin had a long, shitty day. She’d spent the night and all the next day at Lysandra’s, eating Doritos, salsa and listening to Ed Sheeran, which was their shitty love life ritual. 

Now, as Lysandra had insisted, they were out at a bar, flirting mindlessly with anyone who happens catches their eye. She’d had a couple of drinks, and although Aelin wasn’t drunk, she could feel a slight buzz coming on. 

It was nice, she thought. To lose herself in the crowd, the thumping bass music, the rush of alcohol burning her throat.

It was easy to forget. Easy to forget that she’d had a shitty life, and just as it was good, she’d gone and ruined it. Like she always did. She always did. Always. Maybe she deserved what she got.

She saw a flash of golden-brown hair, and a pair of vivid green eyes. Too bright to be Rowan’s, she thought sadly. The man with the eyes slid into the seat next to her, and she decided to forget for a little while longer.

-x- 

Rowan had had a long, shitty day. It had started when he’d woken up, sweaty and twisted in the sheets, still reeling from a dream about a certain blonde-haired beauty.  
After Aelin had confessed her feelings, he’d gone home and taken a long shower, drowning in his self-pity. He was such an idiot. With all his daydreams about Aelin, not for one moment had he considered what it would be like to have her return his feelings. All day his thoughts had been consumed by her, he couldn’t focus on anything apart from the look on her face when she’d left. He’d frozen, and now she wasn’t answering his texts or phone calls. He’d messed up. He probably deserved the misery.

Now, Lorcan, sick of him moping about their shared apartment, had dragged him out to Mistward, in hope of him getting his mind off of Aelin for one gods-damned moment. 

However, that plan had failed when he’d walked through the door, seen Lysandra in the corner chatting up a girl, and Aelin not-so-subtlety flirting with a boy in a booth. He had stormed up to the bartender and ordered the strongest drink he had.

Now, after thirty minutes for exercising incredible self control, he was done. Done with that sultry laugh, done with that immaculate hair flip, done with that coy smile that Aelin gave the boy who knew nothing of how gorgeous and special and smart and gods damned perfect she was. He slammed back his drink, marched over to Aelin and ripped the boy away from her.  
All he saw was her shocked expression, all he heard was her “Rowan? What-“ before his mouth was on hers. 

It was bliss, it was heaven, it was like nothing he’d ever experienced. It felt so right- the way his mouth fit onto hers, the way her body pressed up against his, the way she moaned slightly when his tongue brushed against hers. His hands plunged into her hair and tilted her head back while he devoured her mouth. Her hands had gone to his cheeks and oh-it was perfect.

After what might have been seconds, or might have been hours, she broke away, not going far, gasping for breath as his mind whirled.  
She looked stunned, wrecked, the way her lipstick had smudged and the way her hair had mussed up slightly from his hands. She bit her lip and smiled, so unlike her, almost shyly, and whispered,  
“Yeah?”  
The way she whispered it, the way she said it with hope and nervousness and excitement and apprehension broke his heart.  
“Yes, Fireheart.” He grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ritual that Lysandra and Aelin have is actually what my best friend and I do when our love lives get a bit crap! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I had a great time writing it!  
> Feel free to come talk to me on my Tumblr @booknerdproblems


	5. Love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter five! I hope you guys like it! Kudos and comments are muchly appreciated!   
> TW: talks of drinking, some very minor explicit content, swearing

The second kiss was nothing like the first. 

The first was filled with passion and heat and desperation and longing.  
The second was featherlight, sweet, exploratory. When he had kissed her that first time, her knees had felt like jelly and it it had never felt so right. And when he had said that single word, a single word that held so much meaning, she had never felt so happy. It meant I feel it too, it meant I want this, it meant I love you and it meant so much more.   
His hands went around her waist, tugging her into his body. His body was warm and solid underneath her hands and she trembled with the overwhelming feeling of him, of him just being there and his hands touching her waist, trailing over the tops of her thighs, up to her cheeks and threading through her hair. 

Slowly, the rest of the world came back into focus. The kiss had completely altered her grip on reality. Lysandra had a shit-eating grin on her face, Lorcan was muttering a ‘finally’, the boy, Archer, she thinks his name is, was looking affronted, but she only had eyes for the man in front of her. 

She’d only been flirting to maybe attempt to get her mind off of Rowan for the first time all gods damned day. 

His eyes had been closed, but they slowly opened and all the breath was knocked out of her. His eyes were dark. Dark with desire, but light with hope and love. 

“Well.” She broke the silence, “that was- well. Um. Thank you?” 

She could have kicked herself at the sheer stupidity of saying fucking thank you after he had just given her everything she’d been wanting for the past- fuck she didn’t even know how long. 

His eyes filled with nervousness at her words and oh gods she was so stupid. She may have just gone and ruined the first good thing that had happened to her in along while.

Then he laughed. He threw his head back and laughed. She blinked, surely she wasn’t that bad, but then she started to giggle. And then it turned into a chuckle, then a small laugh, then oh she couldn’t stop. Everyone around them wore expressions of bemusement or outright confusion.   
After their giggles had subsided, she buried her head in his chest and put her arms around his waist. 

She murmured something, muffled by his shirt.  
“I didn’t quite catch that,” his tone was teasing.  
She tilted her chin up and met his beautiful eyes.  
“I love you.” She said.  
“I love you too, Fireheart.”

-x-

Rowan couldn’t stop smiling, even giggling gods above. This woman was going to be the death of him. The way her eyes had lit up when he said those three fateful words had his chest filling with a warm tingly feeling. Even when they’d left the bar to wolf whistles and many a perverted glance from their friends, he’d not stopped smiling, not stopped looking at her, not let go of her. He couldn’t quite believe it, just the fact that she was here and in his arms. Only now, standing in the entryway of her apartment, did the joy die down, turning into something primal and quiet. 

He rested his forehead against Aelin’s, relishing in the quiet, the sound of their breathing, heavier than normal, filling the space. His hands, resting in the dip of her waist, started moving, his thumbs slowly drawing circles on her stomach, moving up up up, until they reached the undersides of her breasts.   
Her hands started into movement, trailing up his arms, down the front of his chest, around to his back. She bit her lip and he started pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses across her jaw, down her neck, nipping and biting until colour began to form. Her back hit the wall and a small noise escaped her kiss-swollen lips. Her hands slipped under his shirt, seeking bare skin. Their breathing was heavy, chests rising and falling rapidly. 

“Wait.” He stopped instantly at the tone her voice.  
Rowan pulled back, looking into her eyes.  
“You say you love me, yet I find you in bed with other people?”  
Rowan groaned, and Aelin just looked at him, her turquoise and gold eyes filled with desire and lust, but also confusion and hurt.  
“Will you believe me if I say I genuinely cannot remember what happened?” He asks apprehensively.  
“It just.., it hurt me, Rowan. It really hurt.”  
“I know, I’m so sorry Fireheart. All I know is that I was trying to get over you, so I had a few drinks, and I don’t remember anything after shot number five. I’m so so sorry. I will spend every day of my life, making it up to you, if that is what you wish. I can, I will do absolutely anything you ask, because I’m so gods damned in love with you. I can never stop thinking about your smile, your laugh, your smart ass mouth,” He looked at her mouth, and she allowed him to run a thumb over her bottom lip, “you don’t want to know the depraved things I’ve thought about this mouth.”

He was all about ready to get down on his knees and beg for her forgiveness, when she surged forward, hooking her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

“I love you,” she muttered against his lips, “but I want breakfast made for me for as long as possible, please.”

“As you wish, Princess,” he murmured back. 

She made a small sound of confirmation, then his lips were on hers, and he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come visit me on my Tumblr @booknerdproblems


	6. After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! THANK YOU for over 600 hitsss! This is my first fanfiction so that makes me so happy! Sorry this chapter is later, I’ve been swamped with work. This chapter is 90% smut, with some fluff thrown in there as well, so be warned. It’s not too graphic, but it’s there. I’m not happy with this chapter, it didn’t flow great, so here’s some smut instead. I’m not that experienced at writing smut, so I’m sorry if it sucks.   
> Enjoy the chapter!  
> TW: smut

Aelin blinked awake, sunlight streaming in through the sides of the curtains. The room was simple, plain; the sheets soft and warm. 

She was lying face up on a mound of pillows, the blankets twisted around her naked body. A heavy arm was draped across her stomach, and she looked sideways at the male sleeping next to her.   
Rowan’s face was softened by sleep, his cheek squished by the pillow, his long eyelashes resting on his cheek. 

She looked away, and a small, contented smile overcame her face, her face heating. It was so terribly cliché, but her chest filled with a warm fuzzy feeling, and her small smile quickly bloomed into a cheesy grin.   
She allowed herself a moment of pure excitement and happiness, before reigning it in and snuggling deep into Rowan’s arms. Subconsciously, his arms tightened around her and she let out a small sigh, happy to be cocooned, safe, in his arms.

-x-

Rowan awoke with a face full of hair. Long golden hair that tickled his chin and scratched his neck. He huffed a laugh, and the small, warm body pressed against his started to squirm. He looked down, his eyes meeting a pair of turquoise and gold ones, hazy from sleep. He smiled at Aelin, and she reached up for a kiss.

The chaste, sweet kiss quickly turned heated and he hauled her over him, her long golden legs straddling his thighs. He could feel himself hardening, and her thighs getting slicker as he lazily stroked between her legs. He reached over for a condom, rolling it on carefully.  
Last night, they’d not stopped until the early hours of the morning, going fast and hard until they were thoroughly exhausted.  
The morning though, the morning was for slow, loving sex, and as Aelin slipped down onto him, his thoughts were of nothing but her.  
Slowly, she started moving on top of him, rocking her hips back and forth as pants and breathless gasps filled the air.   
The smell of sweat and sex was heavy in the air, and the sheets were becoming even more rumpled and sweaty.   
He thrust his hips up, hitting an angle inside her that caused her to cry out and scratch at his chest with the hands braced there. He groaned her name as she clenched around him; her eyes, previously locked on his, fluttering shut as she tipped her head back, exposing her throat. A few bruises adorned her neck, and he attached his lips to her pulse point, earning him a moan that sounded like his name.

“Rowan,” another moan came from Aelin, and he knew she was close  
“Aelin.” He returned, teetering on the edge himself, “I’ve got you, baby, I’m right here.”  
“Ah, Ro- baby please”   
“That’s it Fireheart, come for me.”

All her muscles clenched, then released as she came with her mouth open in a silent scream. Rowan flipped them over, working her through her orgasm, and it only took him a couple more uncontrolled thrusts before he came with a choked ‘I love you’.   
After several moments, their breathing calmed and he pulled out of her carefully, watching her face for any signs of discomfort. He disposed of the condom, quickly returning to the bed. Her face buried itself in the crook of his neck, and pressed a kiss there.  
“Morning” she said calmly

He pulled back to look at her, and shook his head as she collapsed into giggles, a small smile overcoming his face as he watched her laugh herself silly for barely a reason at all. 

Aelin pulled herself up, still chuckling, hips swaying as she walked to the shower, and he pulled on grey sweats before going to make breakfast, as promised.


	7. Friday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! Welcome to the seventh chapter of Pining. I'm sorry it's not too long, but I promise I will have the next chapter up as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy, and as always, please do leave a comment, I love hearing all your thoughts!  
> TW: swearing, drinking

It was a warm Friday night, and Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was exactly where she wanted to be.   
She was wearing a short black dress with capped sleeves, and a zipper done all the way up to her neck. The modesty of it, however, was undone by how the fabric hugged every dip and curve of her body.   
Aelin was tucked into her newly minted boyfriend’s side, as they sat in a booth with Lysandra, Fenrys, and Connall. Elide and Lorcan had gone to get another round of drinks; Manon and Dorian were dancing seductively on the dance floor, too enamoured with each other to really notice the many glances and offers getting thrown their way.   
It had been two weeks since Aelin and Rowan had announced their relationship, the declaration being greeted with groans and cheers alike, as cash was exchanged between their friends, much to Aelin and Rowan’s chagrin.   
It had been two weeks of pure bliss, of forehead kisses, of secrets being whispered in the safety of each other’s arms, of midnight lust and candlelit dinners. Aelin supposed the peace had to end sometime.   
Lysandra had been in the middle of talking about her latest crush, a girl at work named Nehemia, when Rowan’s get-over-Aelin one night stand walked in. But Rowan hadn’t noticed, too busy laughing with Fenrys over one of his and Connall’s funnier childhood stories, and she trusted Rowan implicitly, so she took no notice.  
But she couldn't help the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach, the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. 

-x-

Rowan Whitethorn was having a great Friday night. He had the most beautiful girlfriend wearing the most sinful dress glowing with vivaciousness, his friends, and alcohol. Given, his gorgeous girlfriend was definitely tipsy, but he himself was only pleasantly buzzed. 

He shuffled out of the booth to go get another round of drinks, walking steadily to the bar.   
Rowan leaned over to get the bartender’s attention, and placed his rather large order of drinks for his borderline alcoholic friends.   
He felt a warm body drop into the barstool next to him, recognizing the golden brown eyes and soft curves of his rather pathetic attempt to get over Aelin. Given, the woman next to him was very attractive, and he was sure she was a very lovely lady, but he was gladly taken.   
He cast his mind back to the tequila-soaked memories of that night, and at last remembered her name.

“Essar, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come and talk to me on Tumblr @booknerdproblems


	8. Fight or Flight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely people! This update is later than usual due to lack of inspiration and me drowning in work. It's slightly longer though so yay! And oh my gosh 1000 HITS! AHHH! This is my first fanfiction so guys thank you so much!  
> Now, this story is going to be updated even less now, although I might come back to it in a while. I have other stories and one shots in the works however so I'll post those soon. If I do update this in the future, the chapters will not have an ongoing plot unless I say otherwise.  
> This chapter was really hard to write so it doesn't flow all too well, but I hope you like it anyways! Comments are appreciated!  
> TW: smut!

Rowan Whitethorn, was, once again, fucked. He’d been chatting to Essar, perfectly innocently, and now he was here. After he’d informed Essar that he did, in fact, have a brilliant girlfriend, and she’d congratulated him, they’d got to talking.  
It turned out he had ties with her company at work, and she had just given him her phone number so they could discuss business, when he turned to get back to his friends, to find Aelin blatantly grinding against a man on the dance floor. He had no objections to her dancing with other people, even if it did put his teeth on edge. So he gritted his teeth and got through it.  
As the night went on, however, Rowan started to think she was making him uncomfortable on purpose. She either ignored him or gave him one word answers, all the while outright flirting with every man who crossed her path. After about two hours, it was late, and Rowan was tipsy, tired and pissed off.  
Aelin was sitting at the bar, playing with a random ring on her hand. Rowan stormed up to her and grabbed her arm,  
“We’re leaving. Now”  
Aelin just shot him a glare, waved goodbye to Lys, and left him to follow her out of the building. Cool night air hit Rowan, and he took several deep breaths before turning to follow Aelin on the short walk back to her apartment, three streets away from the bar.  
Once they were safely inside, riding the elevator to Aelin’s floor, Rowan turned on her.  
“What was that?” He demanded, his accent thicker due to the alcohol he’d consumed.  
“What was what?” Aelin spat at him.  
“That. Back there. I leave to go to get drinks, and I come back to you flirting shamelessly with every male to cross your path.” His voice rose, not quite shouting.  
“What, so now I’m with you I’m not allowed to talk to any other man? Am I allowed to talk to Aedion? My cousin? Are you paranoid I’m not allowed to talk to my own gods-damned cousin, you overbearing asshole.” She hissed the last insult, and stormed towards her door, fumbling with her keys.  
“Stop putting words in my mouth, you know I didn’t mean it like that Aelin.”  
She cursed, managing to insert the key into the lock and the door swung open.  
“Then what are you saying Rowan, you think I’m so unfaithful that I would cheat on you? You think that little of me?”  
“No Aelin, the point is you just went off, no explanation, and fucking ignored me for no bloody reason.” He was starting to get really angry, and that last whiskey was not helping things.  
“What about you, Rowan? What about you? Huh? You go off to get drinks, and start flirting with all your ex hook ups? Don’t act like I’m the bad guy here. You are just as bad as me.”  
Everything clicked in Rowan’s mind, and a small smile came over his face.  
“Oh, is that it Aelin? You saw me talking to Essar? Oh, Fireheart, are you- are you jealous?”  
A look of fury overtook Aelin’s face, and he realised how that must have sounded.  
“You condescending asshole,” Aelin got right in his face, “you hypocrite, you absolute prick,” she hissed insult after insult at him, her arms flailing everywhere.  
He grabbed her wrists, and drew her in close. She was so gorgeous, even whilst spitting mad.  
“Aelin, stop.” He demanded.  
To his surprise, she did, her body obeying the dominance in his voice.  
He rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.  
“I did not so much as hint to Essar that that was an option. She came up to me, I told her that I do, in fact, have an amazing girlfriend,” Rowan flicked Aelin’s nose, “she respected that, and we started chatting. Turns out, we have business together. She gave me her number, purely for professional purposes, I can assure you.”  
Aelin bit her lip, looking uncertain. So Rowan continued,  
“Aelin. Aelin, look at me,” he tilted her chin up, and she looked up at him through thick lashes, “why would I need to be with Essar? I have the cleverest, funniest, most gorgeous girlfriend in the whole wide world.”

It was a sweet moment, but she was breathing heavily, and so was he. It was then he realised how close they were standing. Then, despite his words, all the anger bubbled over and she pulled him in for a ferocious kiss. It was all teeth and tongue. It was filled with burning lust and an edge of possessiveness.  
He pulled back, searching her eyes for any hurt still lingering. 

-x-

Aelin tilted her head up, rising up on her toes as she started placing hot, open-mouthed kisses along his jawline. Running her fingers over his shoulders, she pulled at his shirt.  
Once it was off, he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist and walking into her bedroom, making sure not to trip over the many things she left on the floor.  
She kissed over his collarbones, then up his neck, then down his chest as far as she could go in this position. Nipping and biting, she worked colour into his skin, marking him.  
Mine. The word echoed between them.  
He dropped her roughly onto the bed, quickly crawling up the length of her body, removing her dress as he did so. He kissed his way up her stomach, and she reached around to remove her lacy black bra.  
Aelin’s skin was on fire, everywhere Rowan touched sent a line of white-hot desire straight between her legs.  
He grabbed her jaw with one hand, roughly pulling her lips to his as his other hand went to her breast, and she arched into his touch.  
His fingers trailed down her body and slipped between her thighs, causing her to gasp into Rowan’s mouth.  
He made quick work of it, impatient and not at all teasing as he slipped two fingers inside of her easily, his thumb rubbing her clit in small, fast circles.  
His other hand pinned her wrists above her head, much too easily for her liking, and he laughed darkly as she whimpered, the pleasure from simply his fingers almost too much to handle.  
Just as she was teetering on the edge, so close, he pulled his fingers out of her, and she cried out in frustration.  
He pulled off his undershorts and flipped her over, tilting her hips up.  
They both moaned as he entered her fast and hard, and quickly set a rough, demanding pace she could barely keep up with.  
She was struggling to get breath down, he filled her so completely, and was utterly ravaging her.  
He fucked her with all the anger and pent-up frustration they had built up throughout the night. He wrapped a hand around a handful of her hair, and pulled it back so her back was arched in front of him.  
His moans of her name only helped her climax build, and he placed a gentle hand around her neck, hauling her up so her back was pressed against his abdomen. She clenched around him, and the hand around her neck tightened slightly, leaving her breathless as her head lolled back onto his shoulder. His hand went to her clit, fucking her hard and rough as she came, hard. Her vision went white, and she could only feel the intense pleasure washing through her and the man at her back as he came with her. 

After a couple of minutes, she was tucked into his side while he stroked her hair soothingly.  
“I really didn’t mean to make you jealous,” he whispered.  
“It's okay. I shouldn't have assumed.” she murmured back.  
“Don’t worry . I get it. You have no idea how jealous I got seeing you with those other men.” He groaned.  
Aelin giggled softly, and he folded her into his arms, kissing her forehead and pulling the blankets over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come follow me on Tumblr @booknerdproblems


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